Netflix has announced it is bringing its mega-hit series Squid Game to life with a new reality competition series.
The dystopian Korean drama series became the streaming giant’s “biggest TV show ever” after being released last year.
A day after confirming the smash hit will return for a second season, Netflix has gone a step further.
Fans will be able to apply for Squid Game: The Challenge, which will allow 456 real players to enter the game in pursuit of a prize of $US4.56 million ($6.64 million).
Netflix claims the show will host the largest cast and cash pot prize in reality TV history.
In the 10-part competition, participants battle through a series of games inspired by the original show, alongside some additions.
Strategies, alliances and character will be put to the test as each round contestants are eliminated.
“Squid Game took the world by storm with [director Hwang Dong-hyuk’s] captivating story and iconic imagery,” Netflix spokesman Brandon Riegg said.
“We’re grateful for his support as we turn the fictional world into reality in this massive competition and social experiment. Fans of the drama series are in for a fascinating and unpredictable journey as our 456 real world contestants navigate the biggest competition series ever, full of tension and twists, with the biggest-ever cash prize at the end.”
Despite that, the streamer has confirmed that the players will not face the deadly consequences of the drama series. Their worst fate will be going home empty-handed.
Casting for the series is open, with English-language speakers from any part of the world encouraged to apply. That’s perhaps a surprise, given the smash-hit series was almost entirely in Korean.
But the rule is pragmatic – instructions will be in English and players need to be able to understand what’s being said. They can speak other languages, as long as they are also fluent in English.
Squid Game holds the record as Netflix’s most popular series yet, with 142 million households around the world watching the show in its first four weeks after it was released in September 2021.
Dong-hyuk will return to directing duties for the show’s second series.
-with AAP
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